Letters

University is working towards greater energy efficiency As part-time MBA student Ran Elfassy has pointed out ('MBA students also need to be taught socially progressive ideas', June 29), environmental, economic and social issues (the 'triple bottom line' of sustainable development) are critically important in higher education. At the University of Hong Kong, a leading research university, a training centre for future leaders and decision makers in every field and an institution with a substantial environmental footprint, sustainability and climate change relate to almost everything we do. Indeed, HKU is making significant progress on a number of key sustainability issues, including research and teaching, curriculum development, energy management, resource conservation, waste management, local and international outreach and a range of extra-curricular activities. Within the faculty of business and economics, there has been increasing attention paid in recent years to business ethics as well as to environmental, social and governance issues. The need for more responsible use of air conditioning is an operational issue common among many public and private sector organisations in Hong Kong. Temperature control has been a challenge not only in the Admiralty Centre, a privately managed facility where the university occupies one floor, but also at our main campus in Pok Fu Lam. While continual reinforcement of the university's temperature policy is important, we are working to improve the situation in a systematic way. We are doing this through a large-scale effort to retrofit our academic and administrative facilities, and upgrade building systems for greater energy efficiency. In the summer months we are again instituting our energy saving policies on campus, but there is much more to do. We look forward to working within the HKU community, as well as with our fellow universities and others in Hong Kong in the years ahead. Ann Kildahl, sustainability manager, University of Hong Kong Why rugby is such a success in Hong Kong I read Alvin Sallay's column on rugby in Hong Kong (June 29) with interest. Coming from more of a soccer background, although I admit it is a minor sport in Australia, I think there is something of importance here that Sallay has neglected to mention. It is a significant factor in the success of rugby, including the financially, in Hong Kong. This factor is that the sport is only played in a small number of nations around the world. One can draw a similarity with cricket, matching the Sevens Rugby tournament with the recent Indian Premier League series. This limited version of the game creates situations where the better players and teams can compete against each other on a more frequent basis. If we take soccer as a counter-example, an event similar to the Hong Kong Sevens would not be possible without an inordinate amount of pre-tournament sponsorship. The game is too widespread, which is why there is such a complicated method to generate the teams that compete in its world championships - the soccer World Cup. Further, the television coverage of the sport has removed the seated spectator to become the couch spectator. These people would prefer to watch the English Premier League or the Italian Serie A instead of going out to watch a team in their local league. The same situation applies in Singapore, but to an even greater extent. The fact that rugby, although a sport power in the world, is only contested at the top level by a few countries lends itself to allowing a city like Hong Kong to take advantage. I applaud the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union for its work, yet I feel Sallay's column does not address the facts that I have outlined above. Nick Guoth, Canberra, Australia Sixes organisers should ask tycoon for help I am concerned that unless the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes can find new sponsors, the cricket world may be mourning the end of this event. However, there may be a solution. Cricket lover Sir Allen Stanford is one of the richest men in the world. He has taken US$20 million from his own pocket, some of which will help develop the future of cricket in the West Indies, which faces total collapse ('The future of cricket or a farce?' June 15). The Hong Kong Sixes is also facing a crisis. Surely it is time to make a request for financial help from Sir Allen. Perhaps he can help the Hong Kong Sixes out of its problems before it is too late and everything turns to ashes. K. M. Nasir, Mid-Levels Angered by Tsang's aloof attitude How dare Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen demand an end to the controversy of his hyper-salaried undersecretaries, all of whom were chosen with the absence of transparency and accountability. It is nothing short of nauseating to think of the salaries of Mr Tsang's new team of civil servants juxtaposed against the swelling ranks of Hong Kong's impoverished who meticulously budget every dollar of their meagre monthly incomes just to achieve basic survival. Mr Tsang needs stern reminding that many Hong Kong people are getting sick and tired of his 'holier than thou' attitude which is absolutely unjustified since he was only appointed through a sham, rubber-stamp election committee, not by the people of Hong Kong. In a CNN interview in June of last year, Mr Tsang said he was answerable to Hong Kong people. How curious that only a year later, his message to Hong Kong people seems to be something like, 'keep your mouths shut as my actions are none of your business'. Peter Daignault, Central Not convinced Having listened to Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen's statement in Legco in response to the debate surrounding the new political appointees, I was not convinced their appointment had anything to do with preparing the way for future universal suffrage. None of these appointees have been elected. Would they be willing after say four years, to run for a Legco seat in an election, which would mean a much-reduced salary? I doubt it. In the corporate world, we've got to perform and deliver before we are given rewards. This logical approach does not apply to these appointments. Jimmy Chow, Pok Fu Lam Real spirit of the Games The Olympic Games embodies the ideals of friendship and unity between nations. The idea of the Games was to prevent conflicts between nations. Instead athletes from different countries would compete on the track. The spirit of the Olympics reminds us of the importance of peace in the world. It also provides a good opportunity for cultural exchanges between nations. I hope the Beijing Olympics can promote Chinese culture to the entire world and enable us to learn more about other countries. Some athletes cheat and some countries try to exploit the Games. But we have to remember what the Games really stands for. It should have nothing to do with politics. I hope China will exemplify the real spirit of the Games and promote its real goal - benevolence. Jerry Lo, Tai Po